1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a combination male/female toilet and urinal suitable for both commercial and domestic use.
2. Background Discussion
Combination toilet and urinals such as that illustrated in the present inventor's prior patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,735,428, provides a compact arrangement which achieves a greater efficiency in water use due to less water being required for the flushing of a urinal as compared with the flushing of a toilet.
The combination toilet and urinal of U.S. Pat. No. 3,735,428 is, however, susceptible to clogging as the conduit between the urinal and toilet drain is narrow and extends a relatively long distance between the urinal and toilet drain. This proves to be especially problematic when the combination toilet and urinal is in commercial use due to the likelihood of foreign objects such as cigarette stubs being thrown in the urinal and trapped within the narrow conduit extending between the urinal and the toilet drain. Moreover, the prior art combination toilet and urinals are prone to spacing problems despite improvements in compactness. For example, in home use a combination toilet and urinal, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,735,428, is closely positioned between a sink and a bathtub. Thus, a user of the urinal is somewhat crowded by either the sink or the bathtub depending upon the relative position of the combination toilet and urinal. Still further, the prior art embodiments are not specifically designed for female use of the urinal which can lead to greater water use efficiency.
The prior art illustrates even further attempts to provide a compact combination toilet and urinal. For example, in German Publication DE 37424760 to Anmelder there is illustrated a toilet and urinal combination whereby the urinal pivots out from a position within a recess formed in the water tank of the toilet. French Publication No. 2,434,242 to Zampieri illustrates a somewhat similar arrangement whereby a urinal pivots to either a storage position above the water tank or to an operational position above the toilet seat. However, the embodiments illustrated in the above-noted French and German publication, although being compact in arrangement, are difficult to clean and easily susceptible to clogging especially in commercial use. In addition, the urinals provided in Anmelder and Zampieri are not designed for female use.